That's the message that Mike Conrad, vice president of Zaycon Foods, is preaching around the nation.

The company, started by his brother J.C. Conrad just a little more than two years ago, sells discounted meat products directly to customers from trucks that travel from processing plants to churches, bowling alleys, or anywhere with a parking lot big enough to accommodate them.

"When you get our meat, it's only four or five days old, and you know how many people have touched it," Mike says. "When you buy it in a pretty little package at the store, that's just more people that have touched it and more time it's on the shelves."

On Aug. 25, the Washington-based company will make its first stop in Newport News, filling orders for discounted cases of ground beef.

The beef comes in 40-pound boxes that contain four 10-pound rolls of 93 percent lean ground beef. Sales take place online — orders for the Newport News stop must be made by Wednesday — and shoppers plan to pick up their order during an "event" that takes place about 10 days later.

Zaycon, which sells its product in 48 states, has made stops in Virginia Beach and Suffolk before, and Mike says he tries to service each region at least once a quarter. Pick-up stops are called events, and they are scheduled based on customer demand.

At the Newport News event, beef is priced at $3.29 a pound. That price amounts to a $1.40 discount from Walmart's price of $4.69 per pound for 93 percent ground beef, the cheapest among Hampton Roads' major grocery chains. Kroger and Harris Teeter have the most expensive ground beef at $5.29 per pound.

During a pick up, customers simply drive up to the meat truck. Shoppers don't even have to get out of the car, Mike says, though there can be a line of hundreds waiting to pick up their purchase. Trucks often sell-out, so customers shouldn't expect to purchase meat without an online pre-order.

Sales at Zaycon have grown so quickly — 1,000 percent each year, Mike says — that Good Morning America is expected to feature the company Wednesday.

Customers can be skeptical before they taste the product, though, Mike admits.

"You get what you pay for with meat I think," says Holly Hodge, of Virginia Beach. "We eat meat sparingly so we can consume good healthy meat that was treated humanely."

Zaycon purchases its beef from National Beef, the fourth largest beef processing plant in the United States. It is based in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Virginia Department of Health has not required Zaycon Foods to get a permit to distribute the meat. As Mike explains it, Zaycon's model can be compared to a UPS delivery of Omaha Steaks.

"All we do is load the boxes onto our refrigerated truck and then put the boxes into your car," he says. "It's no different from a pizza delivery guy. In fact, we have more safeguards because we have a way to contact every customer if there is a meat recall."

Though Zaycon is only currently selling its beef product in Hampton Roads, the company also offers discounted boneless, skinless chicken breasts and other meat products.

Chesapeake-based blogger, Laura Oliver, has been a large proponent of convincing Zaycon Foods to service the Hampton Roads region.

"When I brown it, I never have to drain it," Oliver writes on her blog, afrugalchick.com. "It tastes incredible, and their prices are much cheaper than the grocery store."

Pick-up locations

Orders to Zaycon Foods must be made online at zayconfoods.com by Aug. 15. Below are the pick-up dates for discounted beef.